Milecastle 49
Encyclopedia
Milecastle 49, one of the milecastle
s on Hadrian's Wall
, is situated immediately west of the gorge of the River Irthing
(OS grid reference
NY 620 664), where the Wall was carried over the river by the bridge
at Willowford.
It measures 19.8m east to west by 22.9m north and no contemporary internal buildings are now visible. It is built with narrow gauge defensive walls which are bonded with the Narrow Wall curtain
of Hadrian's Wall on either side. It has Type III gateways. It lies 1458m west of Milecastle 48
and 1391m east of Milecastle 50
.
Parts of the underlying Turf Wall
milecastle (49TW) were identified by Richmond.
It was excavated in 1898 and by I.A. Richmond in 1953.
The monument is currently in the care of English Heritage
. It was designated as a Scheduled Monument (number:13987) on 14 July 1997.
Milecastle
A milecastle was a small fort , a rectangular fortification built during the period of the Roman Empire. They were placed at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along several major frontiers, for example Hadrian's Wall in Great Britain , hence the name.Along Hadrian's Wall, milecastles were...
s on Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
, is situated immediately west of the gorge of the River Irthing
River Irthing
The River Irthing is a river in Cumbria, England and a major tributary of the River Eden.Rising in the hills around Paddaburn Moor in Border Forest Park, for the first 15 miles of its journey south it defines the border between Northumberland and Cumbria. After passing Butterburn Flow raised bog,...
(OS grid reference
British national grid reference system
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude....
NY 620 664), where the Wall was carried over the river by the bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
at Willowford.
It measures 19.8m east to west by 22.9m north and no contemporary internal buildings are now visible. It is built with narrow gauge defensive walls which are bonded with the Narrow Wall curtain
Curtain wall (fortification)
A curtain wall is a defensive wall between two bastions of a castle or fortress.In earlier designs of castle the curtain walls were often built to a considerable height and were fronted by a ditch or moat to make assault difficult....
of Hadrian's Wall on either side. It has Type III gateways. It lies 1458m west of Milecastle 48
Milecastle 48
Milecastle 48 , one of the milecastles on Hadrian's Wall, is situated in the village of Gilsland in Cumbria immediately adjacent to the Tyne Valley Line...
and 1391m east of Milecastle 50
Milecastle 50
Milecastle 50 , one of the milecastles on Hadrian's Wall, is situated to the west of Birdoswald fort ....
.
Parts of the underlying Turf Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
milecastle (49TW) were identified by Richmond.
It was excavated in 1898 and by I.A. Richmond in 1953.
The monument is currently in the care of English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. It was designated as a Scheduled Monument (number:13987) on 14 July 1997.